These aren’t three of the sixty-something moons of Saturn; instead, they are beautiful photographs of frying pans in a series called Devour by Norwegian photographer Christoper Jonassen. Like moons characterized by the “wear and tear” they encounter looping around in space, cookware is marked by its encounters with heating cycles and the occasional scour pad. Floating in dark space, each of these round, metallic landscapes is curious, as in “What has this poor pan been through?” On the other hand, what has poor Pandora been through? It looks more like a dusty potato than celestial orb.

But no potatoes here, anymore; no cheese, either. The only space trick they have left when they’re thrown away and, for a brief second, are flying saucers.

We live in a very interesting time where art and fashion are colliding to create some really stupid and some really interesting things. Yet, one era of art that is constantly getting beat down by its own nature is Pop Art. Low brow fashion retailers like Forever 21, H&M, and Urban Outfitters are constantly recycling the catalogues and concepts of Warhol and Lichtenstein for new t-shirt material, bringing nothing new to either the clothing nor the art beyond creating a bastardized cheap product.

Thankfully, people have stepped in to rectify what is happening to Pop Art and have even created new collisions with fashion and art. UK based fashion retailer Fred Perry has collaborated with living British Pop Artist legend, Peter Blake. Together they have have created a little collaboration entitled Blank Canvas, which ties Blake’s aesthetic with Perry’s rich polos as the “blank canvas.”

In the above video, Hint sits down with Blake himself to speak about Pop Art and its influence on fashion (particularly, British fashion). Blake has some really remarkable things to say, explaining his intention behind a lot of his imagery (the target being commentary on Jasper Johns’ Target), the Mod movement and its relationship to fashion, his work as an artist (and current work!), and how he has contributed to Pop Art. Blake is a fascinating man and is remarkably sharp and busy for a near octogenarian.

Although I must say the clothing coming out of the collaboration are not mind-blowing, they really are a great representative of Blake and Perry, two creators who have a distinct voice in the visual world. Take a minute and watch this interview with Blake and, by all means, pass it around to anyone who may in fact be bastardizing his visual lexicon for cheap fashion hounds.

“For Pete’s sake, what are you writing about Lego for?”. If this is your reaction to seeing this post, then move on, keep moving and perhaps think about what you just said. It might mean that we may need to rethink our friendship – I’m sorry but that’s just how it goes!

Seriously though, I find it hard to imagine any reader here who doesn’t take a liking to the wonderful world of Lego. In truth, it’s probably the greatest toy ever made. The other day Lego announced that they’d collaborated with Volkswagen to create a Lego T1 Camper Van and I think they did an incredible job in recreating such an iconic design. While Lego have really captured the essence of the van it’s the enthusiasm of designer John-Henry Harris seen in the video above that made me want to share this with you.

For many, working as a Concept Designer at LEGO seems like a dream-job and it’s enriching to see the enthusiasm that Harris has for his craft. If you’re interested in learning more about the role of play in design then I recommend you check out this excellent TEDxEast talk in which Harris discusses how play is an integral part of any design process. The Camper van itself, will be available October 1, 2011 from the online Lego shop.

Storytelling has always been a fascination of mine. It seems to permeate almost every article I write. The storyteller is dependent on diction and dialog to make the tale come to life for the listener and reader. Legends and tall tales from oral histories eventually were written into tomes, venerated for their information and their sacredness. Commercial publishing came next, then the movies, television, and now the multiple forms of interactive media. After years of innovation and tempered expectations, we have outgrown paper.

In many ways, the past forty years of the digital era mirror the evolution of storytelling: it’s all about user interfaces. So to some extent, the Stanley Parable is best experienced without any introduction. Except, maybe, the trailer above. Don’t watch the second video unless you want to experience the game with a blank slate. The second video is just one of the seven possible outcomes. The game can be downloaded for both mac and PC in the above link for free. It’s worth the download just for the existential sky dive the game will put in your mind. This is a video game without a weapon. Your biggest enemy is the narrator. Victory is impossible. The decisions are simple. You can do whatever you want… or can you?

Created in Los Angeles by 22 year old Davey Wreden, the game attacks traditional conceptions of storytelling. For example, a novel may have thousands of choices that characters make. But in most cases, the story comes down to one decision to turn the tale. The Stanley Parable grants several choices but tons of decisions. It touches on that gap between free will and determinism. Or, possibly more confusing, examines what in life is predestined against that which exists in the temporal indefiniteness of right now. There is a beginning and an end for sure… but what happens in the middle?

It’s sad, I know. All stories must come to an end. But you can get something out of this one.

It feels like its about time that some proper remixes were done of the King of Limbs. For those of us who follow Radiohead, dance remixes of their latest records seem to be the trend. The digital overload of Kid A and Thom Yorke’s obsession with electronica has allowed many unknown and unexpected artists to take full advantage of Radiohead’s sonic landscape. And now, The King of Limbs is getting proper treatment. And no, I don’t mean the original King of Limbs in the first photo above.

This is the third 12 inch released this year regarding the King of Limbs. The artists chosen for this – Thriller Houseghost, Illum Sphere, and Shed – seem to take The King of Limbs in the vein of ambient house and future bass. Considering all three of the original songs are sparse, hypnotic pieces that rely on open spaces and hypnotic repetition, the genres really work. Above is the Thriller Houseghost remix of Give up the Ghost, completely reworked into an ambient bass track. I’m a big fan of Radiohead remixes because they allow a wide variety of artists (including their own listeners) to take a shot at changing their craft work. Maybe I can remix their next track? Who wouldn’t take a shot!

Capturing a spirit of a place or a person is one of the joys of photography. I think a good example of this are the photos of Daniel Naudé, who’s work above is from a series called Animal Farm. The series was started during a road trip from Cape Town to Mozambique in 2008, where he began to document the feral dogs and cattle he would run into, contemplating the nature of mankind’s dominion over animals. It’s a deep and philosophical question, one that only becomes more complex as you look over Daniel’s photos, which are beyond perfection. There’s something really spiritual about his photos, like these could be gods in some Miyazaki film.

‘Imagine The Possibilities’ is the name of a new project from the guys over at Magpie Studio. The publication was made in collaboration with the paper manufacturer Robert Horne and it looks stunning. When The Robert Horne Group released their latest paper Imagine, they were keen in catching the eye of the creative industries (as you’d guess) and so they turned to the London-based studio for help with their campaign.

Magpie Studio’s response was plain and simple: “with imagination, anything is possible”. While the premise may be a little hackneyed it’s the execution that really nails it for me. Combining a series of inspiring quotes about the nature of creativity with some seemingly impossible illustrations they’ve created a set of posters that are both beautiful and inspiring. I’m particularly fond on the bold choices in colors and the use of heavy black line. Take a look at the rest of the publication online here. As for me, my favorite has to be the diamond print thanks to the great quote from the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle: “No pressure, no diamonds”. True words for sure!

It’s Wednesday and we’re continuing our visual journey into the albums of Baltimore based band Animal Collective, today’s album being Feels. At this point in Animal Collective’s career, they were putting out an album a year, which is a feat for any band. Feels feels to me like what an Animal Collective album is supposed to be, it has all of those necessary ingredients like frantic drum beats, complex vocal layering and and a piano that’s become naturally out of tune. It’s one of my favorites because of it’s diverse range of songs, which honestly go all over the place. My favorite song off of the album is Banshee Beat because it shows that range really nicely. It starts out quietly, with a strumming guitar and a faint piano, until the drums start to slow filter in and the song bursts.

Handling the artwork for the album is Christopher Muccioli, a Baltimore designer/illustrator who’s work I totally admire. His site is a joy to explore, he plays with some really interesting ways of presenting his work. The work itself is annoyingly good, with lots of love in the area of screen printing, both t-shirts and posters. I feel like his love of screen printing is blended into the vibe of his wallpaper as well, with this big smears of paint dripping down over the cymbal and drum, which play such a pivotal role in this album. Here’s what Chris had to say about his wallpaper.

Listening to the album “Feels” I focused in on the various sound characteristics that come out through the dynamics of the album. Some of the most energetic parts of the album happen through the use of a cadencing floor tom which has influenced a number of bands and musicians around today and being a drummer myself I felt it appropriate to focus on. The splashy crash on tracks like Did You See The Words? and The Purple Bottle add a lot of color and dynamics that really drive the songs and pull you in.

I think the simplicity of this wallpaper is a big plus, I know how a lot of you readers are! A huge thanks to Chris for participating and yet again, another huge thanks to Andy Mangold for being an awesome curator. Check back next Wednesday when we tackle Strawberry Jam, the wallpaper is fantastic, I promise you’ll love it.